Blood of the Martyr
by Yasashisa Ryuu
Summary: LOL RESUBMUITWhen priestesses enter the four God's universe, they are given a difficult task: to summon the God and eventually end the story. What is not known is what happens to those who fail to fulfill their duty...LOL
1. Chapter 1

READ THIS: I really, REALLY would appreciate it if people would give me constructive reviews. This means no "update plz"'s or review-for-reviews. How is that supposed to help me improve the story? Even one suggestion will make me happy.

Note: My personal reason for writing this is to make the original Fushigi yuugi story a bit more deep, while at the same time retaining the actual storyline (meaning I'm not changing it a bit). The whole Universe of the Four Gods thing…the series didn't give much insight into the book itself, or the person who originally wrote it and the one who translated it…

Thank you.

xxxxxx

Prologue: Before the Rain

(takes place before they are even called by Nakago; Amiboshi (kotoku) and Suboshi( Shunkaku) are addressing each other by their original names.)

It was morning, and the sun was a scalding, searing pain of heat. Shunkaku took in a gulp of air, swallowing down as much as could in one sitting. It was so hot and humid out that it felt as if there was no oxygen to breathe. Many people around him looked as if they were half dead in the golden glow of sunlight, their small amounts of water and their fans doing little to suppress the heat. Yet they still had to endure it to buy food and fill their parched stomachs. The market, as he observed, was always a bustling, lively place no matter the weather. Impatient and irate from lack of water, he barged through the thick crowds without a care. Hoarse voices around him spoke of news about the harvest-how feeble the amount of food has been grown, and that people were striving to get as much as possible before everything ran out.

Kotoku would not be happy to find that Shunkaku had no water to bring back. The wells were all dried up, and it was far too exhausting in this weather to go to the river. Perhaps Kotoku would go by horse to get it instead…as long as he wouldn't get too upset.

Turning past a large crowd of bargainers, he tried to find a way around this ocean of rushing people; he entered the first corner he could find, and soon found himself in an unfamiliar area-he had never seen this part of Qu-Dong before. It looked much more organized and less depressing than the market he just painfully passed through. Homely houses and shops lined either side of the street. Men in what looked like fine silk robes stared at him, eyeing his shabby, dirty clothes. He watched them turn away while muttering in disgust, and slowly move into a large tea shop; obviously, this place, however Shunkaku lead himself to be in, was the richer part of the town, and these shallow men seemed to be in good shape when it came to the lack of food. Perhaps it was them who took more than half harvest for themselves.

He gazed hungrily at the life he would never have. And with his brother…

Stop dreaming…he scolded himself, just find the way home.

Shaking his head, he decided to ask someone rather than stand like an idiot; he proceeded down the street, looking for a suitable passerby. His eyes soon met with the doorway of the tea shop nearby, and, curiosity building up inside him, he dared to peer inside. Loud voices of laughter and shouting suddenly rang in his ears. This room was dark, save for several Chinese lamps and candles illuminating the crowded room. It was much more alluring than anything he had ever set foot in. Like a cautious mouse, he advanced through the doorway, hoping to attract as little attention as possible. In his shabby clothes and lack of money he felt like an unwanted fly entering the room.

Luckily, a lot of the people inside seemed too distracted by their loud conversations. Nobody noticed Shunkaku take a seat in the darkest area closest to the door, near a flight of stairs. Kotoku would not be happy with his lateness either; but why pass up a chance to try something special here? Making himself comfortable, he directed his attention towards a show of dancing women, practically sealed in a barrier of men.

"Shunkaku…is that you? I recognize those clothes from yesterday…"

The young boy nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard his name. Turning, he tried to find the source of the voice, wondering who in the world would know him here. His eyes soon met with another boy like him, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs nearby. The candles near him revealed a look of mischief masking his face.

"You, you're Sota…" Shunkaku said, trying to suppress his surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Shunkaku always knew Sota as one of the biggest troublemakers at his school. It wasn't the typical mischief like pranks and silly jokes, but bullying and sometimes destructive actions. Yet, for some reason, this violent, reckless boy was the only one who wanted to get to know Shunkaku better; Shunkaku admired him, almost instantly the moment Sota even said one word to him. Kotoku hated him.

"Yeah. Who else?" said Sota, "I'm just looking for something to do…my parents, I get sick of them sometimes…and what are you doing here? I'm amazed you even snuck in this place without getting kicked out. The people here hate others with dirty clothes and no money, you know."

"I have money!" Shunkaku shouted a little too loudly, "My brother and I don't work for nothing."

"…at a job that pays in dirt. You'd have to work an entire day to earn even one silver piece…"

Shunkaku snorted. "Who asked you?"

Sometimes Sota's arrogance got on Shunkaku's nerves, yet it was true; where he and his brother worked to make a living, only a little money was given to them in return-just enough for at least one meal a day. Any other food, they received from the school who took them in out of pity, and sometimes stealing. Shunkaku turned away. Today, in this awful weather, was not the time to argue over something so minimal. Pulling out some money from his girdle, he decided to calm himself down with a cup of tea.

"Hey…" Sota whispered before Shunkaku could leave his seat, "Want to see something interesting?"

Shunkaku stared at him. Whatever it was, he knew it was something that was meant to be kept secret; yet Sota was inviting him-a weak, lonesome creature-into his world…surely he must have done something right to deserve this. But would it be worth it, to go with someone that Kotoku loathed more than anything else? The elder twin warned Shunkaku many times to listen to himself inside-to find anything disdainful about the situation he was dealing with. Yet he could never free those emotions within him…if they ever did exist…

"Well?"

Sota sounded impatient. Shunkaku decided it was better to go now before he lost the chance, and look like some pathetic child. Following Sota up the barren, wooden stairs, he felt the darkness seemingly wrap around him as the candle light slowly faded away. Soon the two entered a long hallway; the loud jeering and laughter were now like distant voices trapped in a room of stone. The air around them smelled musty. Sota motioned Shunkaku towards a door nearby, which was marked with a small Chinese character painted on the upper part. A large crack was split across the door.

"Not scared, are you?" Sota asked. His voice was suddenly dark.

"What? No…" Shunkaku stared at him, unable to decipher the features in his face. The small candles on the walls didn't help much.

"Okay…you're a weird one, you know."

Sota laughed; Shunkaku tried to chuckle with him, but a small acknowledgement was all he could muster. He watched Sota open the door; it seemed even darker in there than in the hallway. Something did seem strange about this.

Whatever…it's too late to turn back, Shunkaku thought, stop being a baby.

Kotoku's quiet nagging seemed to be boring into him all of a sudden. As he entered the room, part of him wondered whether his brother was being overprotective. Shunkaku was, afterall, getting tired of being told what not to do…of being treated like a child…

Only a single candle was in the room, set on what looked like some shabby, broken table. Faces shot in the direction of Sota and Shunkaku, most of them Shunkaku didn't even recognize. They smiled as Sota approached them, then crouched by something that looked like a lump covered by a blanket. He nodded, looking satisfied. His hands undid a rope around the lump and cast it aside. Shunkaku could've sworn that whatever was under that blanket had moved. He accidentally pushed the door closed in surprise; a few of the boys turned to look at him.

"Who's he?" one of them said dismissively, pointing at Shunkaku.

"Oh, a friend from school," Sota replied, "What are you standing there for? Come here."

Shunkaku, feeling completely out of place with the group of people in the room, approached the lump on the floor; Sota made room for Shunkaku to sit on his knees.

"…what is it?" Shunkaku asked. For some reason he felt he shouldn't have asked.

Sota merely smirked.

"Look for yourself."

He stared at Sota for what seemed like a while; this really did seem weird…

One of the boys suddenly tugged at the blanket out of impatience. The blanket slid away with ease.

The face of a girl was suddenly staring up at Shunkaku, her eyes full of tears and fear, her face spotted in drops of blood; her hair was long and dark, a pretty shade of red; she had the strangest clothes on. Some of it was torn. She appeared to be about his age.

"Where'd you get a thing like her? Look what she wears!" one spat, and kicked her. She made no sound.

"Found her wandering like an idiot around my house," another explained coldly, "but who cares what she wears? Isn't she a pretty little thing?" He reached over and grabbed her hands, which were bound together with rope, and dragged her towards him across the floor. It took little effort for her shirt to be removed. Her thin body twisted involuntarily.

"What a pain she was, to drag her up here…" the boy continued, and pushed her face into the floor.

"Aw, look Shunkaku…look what you're brother is missing," Sota taunted with amusement.

Shunkaku watched, stone-still, as the scene unfolded before him. He couldn't understand what was going on, why this girl was beaten, unwillingly in possession of these boys, who seemed to bear a masochistic hunger for her. Somehow, though, he felt he was spiraling down into their sanctity of darkness as well…his brother was not here, that was true…his voice was not with him either…

"What's the matter?" Sota whispered to him, "Nothing wrong with this. It's more fun if you can do whatever to you want to the girl." Shunkaku had never seen him smirk like that before, so devilishly, so filled with furor…

A couple of the boys were tying a cloth around her mouth. Her face remained shiny, wet, and flushed; something about her degradation caused some dark emotion to slowly erupt in him. Absentmindedly, he got up, and moved toward the girl.

His mind kept questioning to himself…

This…this is wrong, isn't it?

_Nothing wrong with this._

A couple of the boys moved away, smiling, laughing. They enjoyed watching first-timers.

_It's more fun if you can do whatever you want to the girl._

The girl looked up at him fervently, a look plainly telling him not to do this.

He hated it.

"When you're done…give us a turn at least. Why don't you tell us your name, little girl?"

xxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

Takes place the day Amiboshi and Suboshi are taken into the Qu-Dong palace (when Yui becomes the Seiryuu priestess.).

Note: Prologue has been edited to fit in with this chapter. That's what I get for being too eager…heh.

edit: lol mistakes fixed.

Xxxxxx

1- The Shadow of Memories

As the house master sauntered into the hallway and greeted those present with a cold expression, many of the slave women began to whisper to each other as wildly and as quietly as they could, all wondering why, of all people, did the master bring what looked like a member of the Pin clan. No residents or slaves among the house-or any place in Qu-Dong-could forget how treacherous and notorious the Pin clan was. This one, who followed the master through the rippling ocean of whispers and people, was exactly as many people pictured them to be: blue eyes, and hair like the color of gold; and an expression that could turn the spine to ice.

Mariko, who was most quiet among the froth of women, stared hard at the developing scene. She tried her best to conceal herself as much as possible. Normally she would converse with the other women…

"They call him Nakago," one of the women whispered nearby.

"Nakago? One of the legendary celestial warriors of Seiryuu?" another said in response.

"How do you know?"

"How can you now know?" another jumped into the conversation, "There's been talk and rumors about it all over the place."

"Him! Impossible! Someone so evil as him…"

They stopped as soon as the two men came nearer. Other people, a heavily painted man, and a women, silently approached the master and the blonde man. Mariko didn't notice them. Her eyes were fixed only on that one warrior…

"They're searching for someone…see? That's why all the slaves have been gathered here…including the women," a girl said.

"Huh, doesn't he have anything better to do than to sleep with us?" another snorted.

Their eyes then turned to Mariko, who stood as still as a statue. Not only them, but quite a few others. This man, Nakago, had suddenly approached her, stared at her with those malicious eyes.

Mariko swallowed. She returned the gaze, but masked it with hatred; inside, though, her heart fluttered like a bird trying to escape from its cage.

What does he want with me? She though furiously, why now, why did this day have to come now...

He sneered at her.

She watched him slowly turn away. He whispered something to the master, who nodded in response. Nakago pushed away from the crowd of slaves and…left.

"Go back to what you were doing!" the master barked suddenly, "and quickly now, quickly!"

Mariko watched Nakago proceed down the hallway, his companions following his lead, looking as if they, too, did not know what it is he wanted in the House of Hwang. The fluttering in her chest did not cease even after he was out of sight. One of the women coaxed her to move, and soon she was moving along with the group, back to her repetitive, daily tasks. Her mind wandered into deep, dark thoughts, of curiosity, anticipation, and worry. It seemed futile to think about something else.

And then the image of Nakago flooded her mind. From that fateful day to the beginning of what is supposedly her destiny, her mind raced through it all.

"_Remember your purpose."_

_xxxxxxx_

At the end of summer, the rains were endlessly filling towns and streets of the city of Qu-Dong. Rivers were beginning to flood, drowning the farmlands and those who dared to venture near the rising waters. Dark clouds and powerful winds dominated the skies. For a whole entire month, the dirt, grime, and garbage had been washed away from the streets, producing a clean yet slippery walk for the Seiryuu warriors Amiboshi and Suboshi. Both were soaked from head to toe and wearing nothing but thin sleeping robes. They had left the palace without Nakago's orders, each carrying a lamp in one hand to see through the thick curtain of rain. It was very early in the morning and only a little light out.

"This is stupid," Suboshi muttered to his brother as he trudged through a deep puddle in the middle of the street. He kept a tight grip around his brother's hand to keep from falling.

"Will you stop?" Amiboshi hissed, dragging Suboshi away from the puddle, "I don't care what Nakago says. I don't care about his ridiculous rules; I'm getting our father's flute back."

"It was an accident. He didn't mean to sell it," the younger twin argued.

"Accident…he should have known better anyways."

Suboshi decided that now was the time to stop arguing. Very rarely has he ever seen his brother this annoyed; it seemed dangerous to reason with him when he turned so single-minded all of a sudden. Not that he didn't want to let go of something so precious…or help his brother…

The two stopped at a rather small shop, perfectly lined up with the others nearby. Like the rest, it was dark and barren inside, clouded in a haze of dimly illuminated rain. The entire area around them was like a quiet, lifeless microcosm, save for the constant pattering of heavy rain.

"Brother…maybe…" Suboshi couldn't find any worthwhile suggestion. They had no money, and, like Amiboshi said, Nakago could care less.

Amiboshi tried to pry the door open. It was locked shut.

"I told you it wasn't going to be easy…"Suboshi said dismissively.

"Whoever said it was going to be?" said Amiboshi, and backed away from the door. He stood there for a while, thinking deeply for a moment, until he turned to Suboshi.

"Well, I told you bringing your Meteor Bells would come in handy. Smash the door open," he suggested calmly.

"You can't be serious."

"Alright, you tell me a better way."

Suboshi threw his arms in the air, sending droplets of water to the ground. "There are hundreds of better ways than vandalizing someone's property! What happened to the reasonable, tranquil brother I've known all my life?"

"If we wait, someone will go and buy it! You don't see such a flute like that anywhere else!" Amiboshi snapped, "You're just scared like always."

"What was that!"

Amiboshi put a finger to his lips, signaling his brother to lower his voice.

"I'm not giving up the last piece of our parents we have left," he whispered submissively, "even you know how precious it is to you."

Suboshi relaxed a little, but was still reluctant to risk doing something that seemed so inconsiderate and remarkably desperate. Maybe he really was just scared…

"Fine, I'll admit that…but…"

Suboshi picked up one of the balls of his weapon, but before he could calculate how to do this quietly, his brother pulled by the arm and dragged him into a gap between the shop and another adjacent building. Water splashed around their feet as they frantically slipped away from the street.

"Amiboshi! What are—"

"Shhh!"

Silently, the elder twin motioned Suboshi to follow him as quietly as possible, and the two ventured down the alleyway, while the sound of the rain drowned away their faint footsteps. In a few second's time they found themselves in yet another muddy street, this time dominated by resident houses, tea shops, and inns. Amiboshi led his brother towards one of the tea shops, where the only gleam of candlelight could be seen through the windows on the second floor. The door was open.

"Brother! What is this all about?" Suboshi hissed in irritation. First he was desperate for his flute, and now this…

"There were imperial guards down the street!" Amiboshi said, "I don't know if they saw us or not."

"But what does it matter? They can't hurt us because were celestial warriors!"

Amiboshi shook his head. "They follow Nakago's orders, too. So you never know what would happen if we met with them. Come on, we'd better go in here just in case." And he hurried his brother straight through the door of the tea shop.

"But…!"

"Just go in."

As they expected, it was hardly light inside; candles, a few on some of the tables nearby, glowed faintly in the thin darkness. It was neatly furnished with unlit Chinese lamps and floral decorations. A small stage stood on the other side of the room. The faint form of a sleeping man reflected against the candlelight, his head face down on a desk while his arms were sprawled against the surface. He appeared to be asleep.

Suboshi's heart stopped. Why did this place seem so familiar?

"No. We are not staying here," Suboshi whispered, feeling the idea hit his brother's mind. Their bond had strengthened by tenfold since they had started to practice their unique ability, to be able to know what each was thinking or feeling.

"You misunderstood me," his brother replied, "I meant, let's hide here for an hour or so."

But Suboshi wouldn't move even when his brother took a seat by one of the tables, setting his lamp down as well. Amiboshi watched him curiously, wondering what his problem was.

"Suboshi?" Fear and confusion was flooding his breast. Something was wrong.

"We should go back," the younger twin stammered, pouring his mind out, "I don't want to be here."

"This is certainly better than risking ourselves!" the other blurted out, "Like I said, you're just afraid…as always."

"I am _not _afraid," the younger twin said menacingly.

Amboshi was taken aback by his sudden coldness. He had never seen, or felt, Suboshi's mood change so suddenly, so…violently…

Violently?

More new emotions were settling into his mind; he felt anger, and hatred, and volatility...where were they coming from? He wondered. Surely he did nothing to spark some sort of hostility within in his brother…

"Just…hang in there, alright?"

He appeared calm. Maybe it was his own nervousness mixing in with Suboshi's emotions…

He beckoned his brother to join him at the table, but Suboshi shook his head.

"I'm…going to look around. Maybe I can find some room we could use."

"What? Um…alright. If you insist…" Amiboshi didn't dare to tell his brother otherwise. He still felt Suboshi was harboring some secret emotion, one that he himself couldn't even translate into words. Relaxing his arms and head on the table, he tried to think of some ways to get his flute back, while Suboshi approached what appeared to be a flight of stairs. He was still carrying his lamp in one hand.

He stared fixedly at it for a moment, ghosting his fingers over the familiar wooden rail. The embroidered carpet was the only thing that was unfamiliar to him. Looking up, he noticed how incredibly dark it was at the top of the stairs, which seemed to led to a narrow hallway full of rooms. A hallway he had possibly visited before. The memories of this place…they suddenly came back to him, digging sharp claws into the malleable mental tissue of his mind, refusing to leave him completely. It was definitely all too familiar.

His sub-consciousness urged him to move on. Haphazardly, he proceeded up the stairs as a cloud of reminiscence continued to emboss his mind. His lamp soon broke through the darkness, casting shadows across the walls. Inky nightmares were soon dominating his skittish mind. The familiar darkness, the empty hallway he had met once before, a musty scent he had smelled at one time or another, the door that he had once passed through…

The door.

He stopped in front of it. It was just a plain wooden door, just like all the others nearby. But what was so intriguing about it? It wasn't just because he recognized the crack right on the center of it, or the brilliant white Chinese character marked on it. He knew if he pursued any farther after this growing, dark emotion, he may discover something terrible. He touched the edge of the thick, wooden slab, the gap that separated this hallway and the room contained within. It was just as grim and lifeless. His body froze just as his breath had stopped.

The shadowed image of a girl, a girl with red hair and the strangest clothes, soon warped into his morose recalling. She was crying, beaten, her face smothered in blood and bruises. Others surrounded her. The face of a boy, an unscrupulous boy, stood out the most. The conspicuous whim could be clearly seen on the look of his face.

What the hell is this…? He couldn't stop repeating that one sentence in his mind.

Breathing heavily once more, he pushed the door open. Some ferocious sensation in him, some dark memory, continued to augment without hesitation.

_Nothing's wrong with this._

Cold, stale air enveloped him and his flustered mind.

_It's more fun if you can do whatever you want to the girl._

The light from his lamp illuminated the empty room. No broken table, bed, rope, or blanket. No group of boys satisfying their sadistic nature through the torture of another…

A lone figure was crouched on the floor, facing the wall.

Suboshi stopped in his tracks, as did the haunting memories began to leave him, overtaken by his surprise. What was this person doing here, in some storage room at so early in the morning? He noticed it was a girl, wearing dirty, torn robes. She turned the moment she saw the light entering the room. Red hair, pale skin, and dark eyes flashed before him…he was suddenly filled with the most agonizing memory as his body stiffened involuntarily and his lamp dropped to the ground, shattering with an ear-piercing sound. Her disarrayed face turned into a grimace of revulsion the moment their eyes met.

It was her…from months ago…with Sota…her frail body first being destroyed by Suboshi himself…

"M-Mariko!"

xxxxxx


End file.
